Improvement in harvesters



2 Sheets--Sheet1.

J. H. ELWARD. Harvester.

PalentedJuly 6,1875.

% ZZZZ aa/24% UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. ELWARD, or s1. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTE-RS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 165,316. dated July 6,1875 application filed March 26, 1875. j

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. ELWARD, of St. Paul, county of Ramsey, Stateof Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement inHarvesting-Machines,of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making partof this specification, in whichi Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved machine, taken from the rear grainside corner. Fig. 2 is asimilar view, taken from the front stubble-side corner. Fig. 3 is avertical longitudinal section, showing the truck bar or frame and thedevices for suspending the harvester-frame therefrom, and Figs. 4, 5,and 6 represent details hereinafter described.

Similar letters of reference, wherever'used, represent the same parts.

The invention relates, first, to the manner of suspending theharvester-frame upon the truck bar or frame, and to the devices forefl'ectingthe adjustment of the same; second, to the means for effectingthe adjustment of the reel; third, to a novel means for moving the grainwell back at the heel or delivery end of the platform, prior to itsdelivery to the elevator; fourth, to the construction and arrangement ofthe adjustable grainreceivin g fingers, and to the bundle compressingand discharging devices, operating in connection therewith 5 fifth, tothe manner of adjusting the binders platform and seat or band-table;sixth, to the means for controlling the dumping-tray and, lastly, tocertain details of construction and arrange ment hereinafter fully setforth.

. In the accompanying drawings, A represents a truck bar or frame, whichmay be of any suitable form and construction, and which .passcs throughthe space underneath the elevator ordinarily occupied by the drive-wheelin this class of machines. This bar or frame is supported at one end bythe drive-wheel B, and at its opposite end by an adjustablecaster-wheel, B, or truck, as preferred, by means of which the height ofsaid end of the bar may be adjusted. The drive-wheel end of this bar orframe is open or forked, (see Fig. 1,) and is provided upon oppositesides of the drive-wheel with grooved or perforated seg- ,ments, inwhich the drive-wheel axle is mounted, and by means of which the heightof said end of the bar or frame A may beadjusted as desired. 0represents the harvesterframe proper-that is to say, the frame carryingthecutting apparatus, the raking andelevating mechanism, and the bindersgrain receptacle, stand, 850., and which may be of any usual orpreferred form and construction for that purpose. Upon this frame is adouble or an inverted U-shaped standard, D, which strides the bar A, towhich the standard is connected by a swinging link or block,d, pivotedat one end to the truck bar or frame A, and at the other to the frame 0,and serving to suspend the frame 0 from the truck baror frame, thelocation of the standard or point of suspension D being near the centerof gravity of the frame 0 and its attachment, with a slightpreponderance in front and at the grain-side for keeping the cuttersproperly down to their work, while at the same time permitting the readytilting of said frame for raising or depressing the cutters. The linkcl. provides for a relative longitudinal vibration of the frame A and O,and the standards D and link d, are both provided with a series ofperforations, adapting them to be adjusted relatively to each other forsuspending the frame G at different heights. An extension, (1, of theframe 0, or of the gear-plank, accommodates the bearings of the pinionor bevel-wheel shaft 0, and a link, 0, pivoted at one end on andvibrating around the main drive-wheel axle, and at. the other upon thepinion-shaft, serves to hold the drive-wheel and pinions always inproper working relation while permitting the relative longitudinalvibration of the frames A and O referred to. l

The seat-plank E, which is located over the elevating mechanism on theusual overhanging transverse bars, has connected with it,

within convenient reach of the driver in his seat, a lever, E, attachedto one end of a rock-shaft, e, mounted in suitable bearings on theelevator-frame, and provided at its oppo:

site end with a crank-arm, e, which is constandard D for raising ordepressing the cutters, as desired, and a rack, E serves to hold thelever E at any desired point of adjustment. At the rear of the main andplatform frames, in suitable bearings, is mounted a horizontalrock-shaft, F, operated by a vertical arm or lever, B, connected at itsupper end by a link, f, with a lever, F pivoted upon the seat-plankwithin convenient reach of the driver, and held at the desiredadjustment by a rack, F The ends of the shaft F are provided with crankarms f connected, by links 1, with the rear ends of the pivotedreel-bearers F and by the adjustment of these cranks, by means of thelever F 2 through the connecting devices described, the height of thereel can be readily adjusted by the attendant while the machine is inoperation for adapting it to the condition of the grain. Upon the innershoe, which, together with the elevator, is extendedsome distance infront of the bar to which the cutters are attached, I place two verticalpins or shafts, upon which are placed rollers g g, carrying a shortendless apron, G, set obliquely to the line of the cut with the rear endor roller nearest the elevator. This apron may be operated either by thefriction of the passing butts of the grain, or it may be given apositive movement by gears or belt and pulleys from any convenientdriving-shaft, the movement of the apron in either case serving to movebackwardthe butts of the grain projecting over the finger-bar. In

some cases a single enlarged roller, rotatingl backward and inwardtoward the elevator, will be found to answer the purpose efficiently. IThe platform and elevator frames, and the raking and elevating mechanismconnected therewith, may be of any usual or preferred constructions.

The inclined delivery-board H, down which the grain slides after it isdischarged by the elevator, is provided with several series ofperforations at h, (or it may be longitudinal slots,) adapting it tohave a number of receivin g-hooks or curved arms, H H H attached to it,and to permit their adjustment forward and backward, according to thelength of the straw.

\Vhere these arms are designed for receiving the grain only, to beremoved by hand, they will all be made in the concave or semicircularform represented by H but where it is desired to have the bundlecompressed and removed automatically, the rear and front arms will beconstructed as follows, namely: the rear arm or hook H has its outer endextended in g a curved line, and is carried upwardaround.

and looks it firmly down on the shaft J, causing it to act as a rigidextension of the arm H but when the shaft J is rotated for dischargingthe bundle, a pin or spur, j, on said shaft strikes against a hooked endof a slide, 1, and through a lever-arm, 13 on a rock-shaft pivoted inthe forked stud or spur, raises an arm secured to said rock-shaft in theslot or fork of said spur, and lifts the end of the spring free fromsaid stud or spur, thus permitting the arm I to be raised for permittingthe escape of the bundle. The rear arm B being fixed, however, serves asa fulcrum,'upon which the bundle is turned up on end, and thrown overupon the dumping-tray at the rear of the binders stand, this movementbeing produced by the rotation of the compressing-arm J with the shaft Jafter the grain has been bound. The arms J I perform the double functionof compressing the gavel and holding it in convenient form to be bound,and then of discharging the same, as described. An arm,

k, on the shaft J, passing a spring-stop, k attached to the frame,serves to prevent any backward movement of the shaft andcompressing-arms while the bundle is being bound.

The shaft J is mounted in overhanging bars K connected with theelevator-frame, and is provided with a loose pulley, 70 to which motionis imparted by a belt from a pulley on the elevator-apron shaft, or fromany other convenient pulley for the purpose. friction-clutch, kfeathered to the shaft J, (see Fig. 5,) is moved into engagement withthe pulley k by the attendant or hinder pressing with his foot upon apivoted shipping-lever, L, when it is desired to rotate the shaft. Thepulley and clutch are formed on their adjacent faces, the one concave,the other convex or hemispherical, for increasing their frictionalgrasp, the one upon the other, and when not held engaged bythe lever L,are held out of contact by a springfl, applied between them, as shown inFig. 5. Just underneath the arms H H H is a table, M, which may be usedin lieu of said arms as a receiving-table, if desired, but serving inthis instance as an additional support therefor, said table beingsupported in front and rear by projecting bars M attached to theelevator-frame. The rear end of the plank or table M has a longitudinalslot, m, cut in it, through which a transverse projecting bar, 1W, isadjustably connected with it by a through-bolt or set-screw, W. This barM is provided with angular brackets m in which is supported a transversetable bar, N, to which the rear end of the band-ta ble or binders seat Nis attached, the forward end of said table being supported upon a bar, Nresting in angular brackets connected with the forward bar M Thebrackets m permit the bars N N and table to slide in or out fordiminishing the width of the machine, or for adapting the table N tohold the prepared bands, or to be used as a'binders seat or support. Theslot m, in connection with a similar slot, at, in the table N, adaptsthe bars M and A sliding N to bemoved forward, and with them an inclinedchute, 0, attached to the former for varying the position of the latter,over which the grain descends into the dumping-tray, to the adjustmentof the rear arm H in adapting said arm to the length of the grain orstraw operated upon. Angular rods P P, con nected with the bars K, or toany other convenient point of support, either adjustably or rigidly, aspreferred, serve'to give direction to the movement of the bundle as itis being discharged by the rotation of the arms J These rods P P areplaced above the shaft J, and

' lie parallel therewith, in such manner that when the butt end of thebundle is raised it passes between said rods, and is by them preventedfrom being deflected laterally while being discharged, and is thusdirected with precision to the inclined chute 0, over which it passes tothe bundle-carrier.

The arms J are connected adjustably with the shaft J by sleeves orcollars j, and setscrews, by means of which the arm nearer the forwardend of the shaft may be set slightly in advance of the rear one, and bythis arrangement made to facilitate the operation of up-ending anddischarging the bundle. J J are adjustable hubs on the shaft J, whichserve to hold the grain away from said shaft sufficiently to facilitatethe operation of passing the band around the bundle by hand. Q is thebinders stand, supported and sliding \in and out upon extensions oftransverse mainframe bars. Said stand has bars Q! attached to it infront and in rear of the frame-bars, the

foot-plates r or irons forming supports for an gular rails or rods 8 s,constituting stationary sides or guards around the tray. The upper one Sextends around over the outer end of the tray and has an end board, It,hinged to it, said board being locked in position when the tray R isreceiving the bundles by a pin, 1", at its lower edge passing through aperforation in the outer edge of tray R, but which releases the boardand allows it to swing outward when the tray is dumped. The inner orforward end of the tray overhangs the stand Q, and is provided at itsinner side with a standard or spur, s, with which a spring-hook, t,engages for holding the tray in proper position to receive the bundles.The springhook t is withdrawn for releasing the tray, when it is desiredto dump the bundles, by a cord, u, operated by the driver. A secondcord, a, passing through suitable guides, and connected with the forwardend of the dumping-tray, enables the driver to return the tray to properposition for receiving the grain after it has been dumped or tilted todischarge its load. In Fig. 6 I have shown adeflecting apron, arrangedat the upper end of the elevator, for changing the direction of thegrainand turning it outward toward the binders. Ordinarily this has been doneby bending the ends of the compressing-wires, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Where this grain is heavy these bent ends of the compressing-wires 21sometimes tend to said apron moving outwardly on its under side onrollers w w,'supported in standards W connected with the elevator-frame.A pulley, w, on the end of the shaft of one of these rollers, may beoperated by a-baud from a pulley on the elevatorroller shaft, or otherconvenient driving-shaft. The tongue or draft attachment may beconnected either with the truckbar or with the vibrating main frame, aspreferred. hen connected" with the latter the pivotal support of thelatter will require to be set farther back than Where the draft isconnected with the truck bar or frame, as in such case the tendency ofthe draft would be to lift the cutters.

Having now described my improvements, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The truck-bar or frame A, supported in front and rear of the mainframe G, in combination with the said main frame pivoted centrally toand vibrating upon said truck-frame, substantially as described.

2. The main frame 0 0, connected with the truck-frame A by means of thelink 0 and d, arranged and operating substantially as de scribed.

3. The upright endless apron G, or its equivalent, arranged at the innerend of the platform, and operating substantially as described for movingthe butts of the grain backward to clearthe forward guard of theelevator, as set forth. 4. The combination, with the elevator an thecompressing rods or wires 12, of the deflecting-apron W, overhanging thegrain-receiver and the upper end of the elevator, and operatingsubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The concave grain-receiving armsor hooks adjustably secured to theinclined delivery board or chute H, substantially as described. h

6. The receiving arm or hook H extended outward and upward, andconnected with the 'rod or shaft J, in combination with the arm Jarranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The receiving and compressing arm H provided with the jointedextension I, for releasing the bundle, arranged and operatingsubstantially as described.

, 8. The compressing and discharging arms J made adjustable upon therotating shaft J, and operating in combination with the receiving-arm'and fulcrum H substantially as described.

9. The combination, with thejointed arm E of the locking-spring I andthe spur t, and tripping-slide t operated by a cam or projection on theshaft J, for releasing the jointed extension I. as set forth.

10. The rods or bars P, in combination with the disch arging-arm J forgiving direction to the movement of the bound bundle in beingdischarged, substantially as described.

11. The adjustable inclined chute O, in combination with the adjustablereceiving and compressing arm H, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day ofFebruary, A. D.

JOHN H. ELWARD. Witnesses:

WM. H. MINNIX, ALEX. MAHON.

